The progress of the "aging society", has led to an increase in the number of patients suffering from hyperlipemia, as a geriatric diseases, and the development of an anti-hyperlipemia drug having a greater efficacy and safety is desired. Conventional efforts to develop such anti-hyperlipemia drugs have been concentrated on absorption inhibitors and synthetic inhibitors of cholesterol.
Cape Jasmim (jasminoides Ellis) is a crude drug from a Chinese recipe and has long been known to have pharmacological effects such as an anti-arteriosclerosis agent, blood coagulation inhibitor and cholagogue, and geniposide as a typical active component of Cape Jasmim has been confirmed to have excellent pharmacological activities.
In the field of anti-hyperlipemia, however, medicaments that have been developed conventionally cannot provide an entirely sufficient therapeutic effect. Therefore, the development of an anti-hyperlipemia having a different mechanism from the conventional medicaments is desired.
In the field of the cholagogue, on the other hand, genipin as the aglycon of geniposide is known as the cholagogue, and the development of iridoid derivatives having an excellent cholagogue action using this geniposide as the starting material is desired.